D&D 5E What is a Warlord [No, really, I don't know.]

[ZickZak]

Yet despite that information being freely available throughout the Warlord threads, and links to the pertinent posts conveniently provided in multiple places, you keep asking instead of reading - even when the answers are explicitly given... What makes you think you have the right to dictate the form in which an answer is provided? That's rather arrogant.Not to mention that treating the answers with dismissiveness and snark is being rude and disrespectful.Why would anyone want to continue a conversation with someone that treated them that way?There has been so much said about the Warlord in these few thousand posts - so many explanations, analysis, and proposals made - many of them very explicitly and comprehensively - that if one hasn't been able to garner what the concept of a Warlord is by now or understand what is missing from 5E, one probably won't or can't.Understanding first requires a legitimate desire to understand. Then it requires conscientious effort to look past one's own biases, and explore with an open, objective mind. To purposely look outside one's own paradigms. Yet sometimes that isn't enough. Sometimes one may simply lack the conceptual experience necessary to understand - lack the perspective for comparison. There's nothing wrong with that - it simply is. But it's something that can only be addressed by the person seeking understanding. Understanding can't be handed to you. Nobody can impart it. Sometimes it just takes time and experience - something there is no shortcut for.I've given you all I can, the rest is up to you. Good Luck.

Kay, good to go, installed Linguatec VoiceReader.
I listened to all those posts you wrote for like 15 minutes and the only info on Warlord given is that it is not what you want & doesn't fulfill concept, oh well. Hussar's answer was great BTW.

 

[Tony Vargas]

No one's asked for warlords to 'cast spells,' at all. They just need to be viable along-side other support classes who /all/ cast spells.

To be fair, I kinda did. One of my suggestions has been giving the warlord the ability to prepare their combat maneuvers every day much as a spellcaster does with spells. But this was meant as a means to 1) further distinguish the battlemaster from the warlord, 2) to develop the warlord as a martial class with option to make strategic choices similar to spellcasters, and 3) to provide the warlord enough flexibility so that they can be played solo or provide a range of party support as needed.

Thinking of it 'as a spellcaster does with spells' is problematic, though, because it instantly gets caster-supremacist and warlord-must-be-non-magical purist hackles up.

5e's concept-first, open design philosophy gives us the freedom to approach it from a different angle. For instance, lot of warlord concepts, like the infamous drill sergeant, may, well, Drill allies on using specific coordinated tactics in combat. That's not the kind of thing you'd just do in the morning, it's the kind of thing you do during downtime, or maybe for one very specific maneuver during/instead of a 'rest.' It's the kind of thing you might modify or add a variation to at the last minute before, or maybe even on the fly (no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy and all).

But, different as that is in concept, it still gives the kind of flexibility that you're talking about, and that makes sense for the class.

 

[mellored]

5e's concept-first, open design philosophy gives us the freedom to approach it from a different angle. For instance, lot of warlord concepts, like the infamous drill sergeant, may, well, Drill allies on using specific coordinated tactics in combat. That's not the kind of thing you'd just do in the morning, it's the kind of thing you do during downtime, or maybe for one very specific maneuver during/instead of a 'rest.' It's the kind of thing you might modify or add a variation to at the last minute before, or maybe even on the fly (no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy and all).

But, different as that is in concept, it still gives the kind of flexibility that you're talking about, and that makes sense for the class.

I like the "drill/practice" idea, but i havn't seen a good mechanic on it yet.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I like the "drill/practice" idea, but i havn't seen a good mechanic on it yet.

Sorry, ideas are easy (it should leverage the downtime and rest mechanics!), design is hard. That's why I'd rather see WotC design the Warlord than bang one out myself or go through a slush pile of homebrews.

 

[Orlax]

I like the "drill/practice" idea, but i havn't seen a good mechanic on it yet.

I think something on a long rest is the closest we'd get to something like that. I hesitate to attach any kind of mechanic to downtime or anything like that because downtime is not a guarantee for every adventure. I'm getting a good view of the mechanics I want for my home brew and I think if like to roll something like this into it as well. My main focus is auras and commands. Non magical auras. More to just give bonuses for the commanding presence (like I said I'm taking whoever's idea the use my fighting style aura was), but I'm going to call the mechanical spade a spade here and now. Commands being the round to round action and movement granting.

Ballpark idea for this drilling/instructing on long rests. Possibly a 1 on 1 thing. If you spend a long rest working with a character they get an increased effect from a single command you might give them in combat. Make the commands have a base line function. For instance direct the strike gives out an attack. If you've trained with me and I direct the strike for you you get my int mod to damage.

I worry about the power on a mechanic like that because I basically want it to be a permanent buff to our interaction, or possibly have a duration set by the student's int or wisdom mid or something like that, possibly days per point of mod. Definitely think this is something for up level, possibly distinct to a subclass.

 

[Orlax]

Sorry, ideas are easy (it should leverage the downtime and rest mechanics!), design is hard. That's why I'd rather see WotC design the Warlord than bang one out myself or go through a slush pile of homebrews.

I think I finally have to switch to the I don't think they ever will side. They seem determined to split it up and place different capabilities with different classes and Subclasses. I think home brewing will be the only option in this regard until some kind of ogl licensing comes through and someone can publish their own.

 

[ChrisCarlson]

I think I finally have to switch to the I don't think they ever will side. They seem determined to split it up and place different capabilities with different classes and Subclasses. I think home brewing will be the only option in this regard until some kind of ogl licensing comes through and someone can publish their own.

Sasquatch has the Myrmidon narrative in the Primeval Thule campaign book. It's very warlord-y. It even comes with it's own army at higher levels. How warlord-y is that?

 

[Orlax]

The paladin using smite on the warlords turn means he doesn't use it on his turn. It's resource is used either way.
Also, 2 attack from 1 paladin = 1 attacks from 2 paladins.


The rogue is an issue. Which is why i currently favor something more like haste then like commander's strike.

"when an ally takes an attack action against the target, they can make 1 additional attack against the target".
Then sneak attack won't stack.

I'd like to see a general poll on if action granting like this would be acceptable. Grant attacks, cantrip usages and movement as parts of the targets turn rather than using their reaction.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I'd like to see a general poll on if action granting like this would be acceptable. Grant attacks, cantrip usages and movement as parts of the targets turn rather than using their reaction.

If you do try a poll, remember that 1) the polls on ENWorld are self-selecting and meaningless and 2) that you really have two separate questions, one is whether one form of action-granting would be OK (it probably would be), the other is whether any/all other forms should never be allowed (which is pretty extreme and unnecessarily closes off design space).

 

[Guest 6801328]

Same effect if you replace the warlord with a sorcerer, and they cast haste on the barbarian.

No, Haste only grants a single extra attack (even if the Attack action is chosen). A 5th level Berserker could have 3 extra attacks with a full extra action. (Although I supposed the Warlord ability could work like the Haste spell.)